What is companion planting?
Companion planting is a method of growing plants together that are beneficial to one or both plants.
As we are howdoigrowtomatoes.co.uk we will focus on companion plants for tomatoes, but I will put up a page with general companion planting guides soon.
Companion plants for tomatoes
- Borage
- Basil
- Chives
- Carrots
- Calendula
- Garlic
- Marigolds
- Nasturtiums
- Onions
- Peppers
- Lettuce
- Sage
Borage
Borage can be grow with tomatoes and is said to help repel Tomato Hornworm (see Tomato Pests). Borage can also be helpful for attracting bees and other pollinators. The leaves and flowers can also be used in cooking, it has a delicate cucumber flavour.
Basil
Tomatoes and basil for companion planting are match made in heaven! They not only work perfectly together in cooking (see the tomato recipe pages) but also just growing basil in and around your tomatoes boosts the tomatoes flavour! I grow more basil than I can eat but I find it also helps reduce pests due to its strong scent.
(Can’t be bothered to grow from seed but want a constant supply of basil try this.)
Chives
Chives are another great herb to add in and around your tomato plants.
They repel various pests mainly and especially aphids (see Tomato pests) and with their mild onion flavour are great to add to soups, stocks and salads.
Carrots
Carrots are a great companion to plant with your tomatoes. They provide great ground cover to help reduce weeds. If you plant them, when you first plant out your tomatoes and again when the tomato plants are nearly done, well that’s three crops effectively grown in the same space at the same time!
Calendula
Calendula is great to grow with tomatoes, sadly I’ve also been known to use this as a sacrificial plant.
Garlic
Garlic is one of my core ingredients for tomatoes recipes. It’s a fantastic companion plant for tomatoes. It’s easy to grow works great when cooked together and is beneficial by detecting pests with its strong smell.